It currently consists of 2 regular battalions and two reserve battalions (formerly known as a Territorial Battalion).
HRH The Princess of Wales was appointed the first Colonel-in-Chief in 1992; she relinquished this appointment in 1996, having been a great source of pride and encouragement to the Regiment and was held in great affection by all ranks. HM Queen Margrethe of Denmark, formerly the Allied Colonel-in-Chief, was appointed sole Colonel-in-Chief in 1997, thus perpetuating the Regiment’s long and historic links with the Royal House of Denmark, which stretch back to 1689.
The Regimental Badge is a composition of the badges of the forebear regiments. The centrepiece is the Elizabethan Dragon, awarded to the Buffs by Queen Anne in recognition of their Tudor origin, probably in 1707. Below the Dragon is the Hampshire Rose awarded by King Henry V to the Trained Bands of men from Hampshire who had fought so gallantly at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The Feathers about the Dragon are the ostrich plumes, awarded to the Black Prince, but taken from the helmet of the slain King John of Bohemia at the Battle of Crecy in 1346 and later awarded to the 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment in 1810. In addition all officers and soldiers wear the Royal Bengal Tiger on their sleeve in recognition of the award to the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment in 1826 for service in India.
Since 1992 the PWRR have served on Operational Tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. It was in Iraq in 2004 that Private Johnson Beharry won a Victoria Cross for two individual acts of heroism by which he saved the lives of his comrades while under intense fire, at personal risk to himself and sustaining very serious injuries, in direct face of the enemy. Other awards on the same operational tour included 2 Distinguished Service Orders (DSOs); 2 Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses (CGCs); 7 Military Crosses (MCs), a Member of the British Empire and 14 Mentions in Despatches.
The two regular battalions are currently serving abroad, with the 1st Battalion in Paderborn in Germany and the 2nd Battalion in Cyprus. As part of the restructuring of the British Army both battalions will be returning to UK in the next few years and will be stationed in Tidworth and in Rutland. Of the reserve battalions, the 3rd Battalion has its headquarters in Canterbury with outstations in Brighton, Eastbourne and Rochester. The 4th Battalion is headquartered in Crawley, with companies in London, Portsmouth and Farnham
Further information about The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment can be found at www.armytigers.com
